I’m not a “Trekkie”, but I am a fan, old enough to have seen each Star Trek movie’s original release. I consider Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan the best of those using the original TV cast. It was memorable because, in it, Mr. Spock died…sort of. You can see the details of his “demise” here:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPBGZRRrEKM&feature=related[/youtube]
I write “sort of” because the backlash against killing the Star Trek franchise’s most popular character prompted another movie, ostensibly to resurrect Spock. But I digress. I use the clip to draw some parallels between Spock’s “death” and the current Medicare situation.
Upon hearing Admiral Kirk (yep, Jimmy got an upgrade) tell Scottie, “I need warp drive in 3 minutes or we’re all dead!”, Spock leaves the bridge, goes to the Engine Room, and brings the ship’s warp drive back on line, in time for the Enterprise and those aboard to escape harm. In the process, Spock sacrifices himself. In his final dialog with a distraught Admiral Kirk, it is said, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…or the one.” That is where I begin.
Spock “as we knew him”, or before he absorbed enough radiation to light the Eastern Seaboard, is comparable to Medicare “as we know it”. The similarities? Well:
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• A Firm Deadline: Spock understood time was of the essence; he had 3 minutes. With Medicare, we have until 2024 if we do nothing, only until 2016 with the effects of Obamacare, or perhaps even sooner. So say Medicare’s trustees.
• A Need for Quick Action: The Enterprise’s warp drive had to be fixed NOW. In 3 minutes more, no action would matter; there would be neither ship nor crew to save. Similarly, Medicare needs fixing, correction, reform (pick you favorite noun) NOW. In not more than 12 years, and possibly less than 4, if nothing changes, then there will be nothing that can be done.
• A Need for Bold Action: Had Spock remained “as we knew him”, all aboard the Enterprise would have died. In a nod to Caiaphas, Spock reasoned that it was more expedient that one man die for the ship than that the ship perish. Similarly, should Medicare remain “as we know it”, both Medicare and those who depend upon it will be lost.
All who follow, and who are willing to speak candidly about, Medicare’s financial situation know the status quo cannot continue; both Medicare and Social Security, with its $8.6 Trillion in unfunded liabilities through 2086, will bankrupt the federal government if no action is taken. So far, only one of the major US political parties is speaking openly about this. While both would cut Medicare spending by more than $700 Billion over the next decade, the GOP plan is not law and would be part of reforming the program; the Democrat approach is already law and does nothing to make Medicare more solvent. But back to Spock.
In order to save the Enterprise and those aboard her, Spock effectively reformed himself. Not surprisingly, those who were fond of Spock “as we knew him” resisted this reform, though they had no other plan that would save Spock or the ship. Before he made his sacrifice, however, Spock performed a mind meld with Dr. McCoy, uttering the word, “Remember”.
That marked the end of Spock “as we knew him”. As it turned out, Spock’s reform allowed everyone to survive, and paved the way for a new Spock to appear.
The point is simple, if somewhat contrived. Had Spock continued “as we knew him”, those aboard the Enterprise would have died; if Medicare continues “as we know it”, America’s seniors, who depend upon government-run or subsidized health care, may not survive.
One major US political party proposes to end Medicare “as we know it”, in favor of a reformed version that could actually last beyond 2016, and even beyond 2024. The other party seems content to simply let Medicare end, not just “as we know it,” but end period, not heeding the financial warnings from Medicare’s trustees. The other party even encourages the lie that money seniors “paid into” Medicare when they were younger will provide their benefits when they turn 65. The open secret is that no one “pays into” Medicare for their future benefits. Instead, everyone now “pays for” the services those now on Medicare receive.
With 10,000 Americans turning 65 daily and qualifying for Medicare, and with fewer than 200,000 jobs created per month, the math no longer works. Something needs to be done differently, NOW, or soon there will be nothing that can be done at all.
Medicare is indeed a case of the need of the many to find a way to fund benefits bumping against the need of the few to receive benefits. Medicare “as we know it” is broken to the point that, at most, 12 years remain before it dies. If Medicare were Mr. Spock, then it would already be on its way to the nation’s Engine Room, looking to get things back online. It would abandon its current make up in search of a new one that would first make those who now depend upon it safe; next, be affordable for those who must pay for it; and remain available for those too young to be in either of the former two groups. It would do that, even if it meant death, because “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…or the one.”
Spock sacrificed himself only to return for further service. Similarly, the sacrifice of the current Medicare would result in a new program with a longer life. However, for that to occur, the American people must decide they can let go of Medicare “as we know it.”
Copyright 2012. blackmanthinkin.com
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